CONTROL YOUR DRONE

RegulationSeveral countries have

already asked themselves how to
maximize safety in the flight of
RPAs (also known as drones in
common language) and how to
reduce incidences.

Last year, the United States, through the Federal Aviation

Administration, adopted a regulation that requires all the RPAs users to
get registered, both professionals as amateurs, and even the so-called toy
drones. Last April, in a conference organized by the Royal Aeronautical
Society UAS Group in the United Kingdom, the possibility of creating a
record in that country was also discussed, considering the world boom of
the drones industry applications market (see charts below) and the
forecasts for next years, estimated to reach 127 billion dollars, according
to several studies such as Business Insiders and the consulting firm
PWCs.

In Europe there is no such thing as a register of drones for recreational

use. Each country holds its own records. For instance, in Spain, there is
only one register of authorized companies operators that carry out

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technical and/or scientific work with drones.

Facing this sales boom of small RPAs (drones) for private or recreational
use by people with no previous experience in drones piloting and little
knowledge of the regulation, the disclosure and training by the State party
and/or the sector is essential, and so is to transfer the awareness of
performing a responsible piloting good practices and the observance of
the regulatory framework of the concerned country, considering that, for
every flight, the applied legislations are both the one from the country
where the operating company is based, and the one from the country
where the operation is performed. If they do not match, the more
restrictive law is applied.

As the number of RPAs rises, so

does the risk of accidents, though
some news of incidents
appearing on the media finally
turn out to be rather
different than what it seemed at
first sight, such as the recent case
of the British Airways aircraft,
who reported having been close
to crash with a drone that,
eventually, turned out to be a
plastic bag.

Most of the times, the sector regulation does not only apply for
professional operators and pilots, but also regulates recreational uses;
hence, the importance of knowing what we can and what we cannot do
with our drone in order to be a responsible pilot, and to prevent
significant fines as well.

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AESA advices

FAA advices

We also have to be very much aware that, if our drone carries a camera,
additional regulations will have to be considered, such as the personal
data protection law in the operators country.

Another insight raised at the conference, which most of the delegates

agreed on, was the need of instruction (for instance, including an
explanatory brochure inside the boxes along with the users guide) and
the empowerment of recreational-amateur users on the responsible use of
drones and the existence of the regulation, so that, at the same time, it
would help society to accept and to welcome the technology of civil
drones, along with their contributions.

Good practices and responsible piloting of the RPAs is, both for the
professional sector and for amateurs, a concept not to be underestimated,
very much the opposite.

The less number of incidences occur and the greater control we can have

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over our drone, the more balanced and positive the news on the media
will be. This could help to reduce current prohibitions both for
professionals and amateurs, and help in turn to technologically develop
RPAs and their uses and civil applications such as emergency aid,
forecasting of fires, precision farming, rescue operations, environment
preserving, ground analysis and endless current and future applications.

This post has been written by Nuria Snchez Coll, pilot, CEO of Drone
Creativo, proponent of good practices in RPAs operations and expert in
Innovation and Leadership though CSR, in collaboration with Airk.

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